


How Things Started

by canicallyoumaddie



Series: Our Story: A Domestic Klance AU [10]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Background story, Domestic klance, Engaged Klance, Fluff, M/M, Panic Attack, Relationship History, Strong Language, Teacher Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10095224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canicallyoumaddie/pseuds/canicallyoumaddie
Summary: An unexpected question from a student makes Keith feel nostalgic.Alternatively, when Keith met Lance for the first time.(A follow-up to "Moving Forward".)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *Disclaimer: If you haven't read "Moving Forward" yet, that'd be a good place to start before reading this fic! It's kind of the sequel to that one.*
> 
> So since Keith and Lance are *~engaged~*, I thought I would share a little bit about how the two of them met!

“Mr. K, what’s that on your finger?” A very small, very cute little girl asked, pointing at Keith’s left hand.

Keith looked up from his laptop, then down at his hand. He smiled, and took the ring off. “You mean this?” he asked, holding it up.

The little girl nodded with a grin, “Yeah!”

“Well, Marissa, this is an engagement ring,” Keith replied.

“Engagement ring?” She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“Yeah, do you know what that is? It means someone asked me to marry them,” he explained.

“Wait, boys can get engagement rings?” Marissa asked, mouth agape.

Keith smiled and nodded, “Of course they can!”

“Who’s asking you to marry them?” A little boy had wandered up to Keith’s desk and joined the conversation.

“Well, I’ve shown you this picture, right?” He asked, holding up a photo of Lance that was sitting by his computer.

The students nodded.

Keith smiled at them and said, “He did!”

The little girl’s eyes widened and the boy looked between Keith and the photo.

“Really?” The boy asked incredulously.

Keith beamed at him. “That’s right, Jason! He did!”

The two children gave him huge smiles and a big hug, giggling.

“That’s so nice!” Marissa squealed. “He’s so cute!”

Keith grinned. “Yes, that’s true. He’s very cute.” He returned the ring to his finger and turned back to his laptop. “Now don’t you two have some work to finish?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

They stiffened and looked embarrassed. “Bye, now!” They chorused, going back to their seats. Keith watched them go, chuckling to himself. He pulled up his email and sent a message to Lance.

\---------------

**New Draft: lmcclain@mail.com**

_Hey,_

_Today Marissa (you know, the potential GT student I was telling you about) came up to my desk and asked about my ring. It was really cute. It reminded me all over again about this weekend. It’s still surreal. I just wanted to tell you that, how much I love you and how happy I am! I hope your day is going well, I’ll see you at home._

_Love you!_

_Keith_

\---------------

After sending it, he sat back in his chair and smiled, staring at the screen for a moment before getting up to re-address his class.

“Okay, guys, who’s finished their assignments?” He asked. Most of the children raised their hands, while one or two piped up, saying they were almost done. He looked at the clock, taking note they only had an hour left of class time. “I think we’re going to start our silent reading time a little early today—if you’re finished with your papers, put them in the blue box, and you can get started. We can break out the floor pillows, too. It’s been a long day,” He said, giving the radiant faces that were looking up at him and easy smile. He was turning back to his desk when he felt a tug on his pant leg.

“Mr. K?”

He found himself looking down at Marissa, who had already finished her work _and_ the book she’d been reading the previous week. “Is everything ok?” He asked.

She looked up at him sheepishly and motioned for him to come to her level. He knelt next to her, so he was at eye level. “What’s up?” He whispered conspiratorially.

“Well…” she began, looking at her feet, “I was wondering if you could tell me about how you met the man in the picture.” She turned pink and snuck a look at him, unsure if she’d overstepped her bounds.

Keith knit his brows and gave her a slightly surprised look. “Well, I met him in college. One of his best friends was a girl I grew up with, and she introduced us. We were best friends for a while, until we started dating. And now we’re going to get married,” he said simply, trying not to draw attention to their conversation. He didn’t exactly want to explain his entire history with Lance to a bunch of 8-year-olds—especially near the end of a busy school day. His answer seemed to satisfy her, though, by the look of her bright smile.

“Oh! Okay!” She said matter-of-factly, and bounced off to the reading nook.

 _Well, that was easy,_ he thought, standing up and sitting back down at his computer. He saw there was a new message in his email, and opened it.

\---------------

**New Message: lmcclain@mail.com**

_Hey! It’s been going well; I’ve gotten a lot of work done. I think this paper may want me to stay on full time though—talk about it later? That’s so cute, I’m glad that you’re happy <3 What do you want for dinner tonight? It’s a Monday so I’m guessing you just want to relax, so I’ll make it. _

_Marissa’s pretty observant. …and I can’t say I’m not secretly proud it got noticed today. ;) I’ll see you at home._

_Love you too, L_

\---------------

Keith couldn’t help but break out in a goofy smile as he remembered what he’d told Marissa. It brought back memories, for sure. He hadn’t been kidding about being eternally grateful for Pidge introducing the two of them their first year of college.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge decides it's high time for her friend groups to merge, thus bringing our two heroes together for the first time. 
> 
> Alternatively, Lance finds out Keith isn't straight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! it's ya boi Klance back at it again with a *prequel*!! 
> 
> big thank you to undercookednoodle on tumblr for reading it over for me!:) 
> 
> (finally getting this fic on the road...)

“Keith, stop freaking out. They’re gonna love you,” Pidge said, trying and failing to be reassuring.

Keith wasn’t freaking out. To the outsider, he was as cool as a cucumber. On the inside, however, he felt like he was being lowered into a pot of boiling oil. Pidge had told him about her new friend from class, and she felt the need to introduce the two of them a few months into the school year. Keith had been avoiding this inevitability like it was the plague. Not that Hunk sounded like a bad guy—the contrary, in fact—but he didn’t like making new friends. To make things worse, Hunk wouldn’t be the only person introduced. Pidge had also met Hunk’s roommate and befriended him; from how she described him, he was loud and your classic “class clown” kind of person.

Keith wasn’t a huge fan of “class clowns.”

Pidge looked at him so earnestly, though, that he conceded. He was aware that Pidge didn’t like splitting her time between the groups, and they both knew it would just be easier to encourage everyone to be friends.

She’d suggested meeting up at a coffee shop on campus; it was owned by Allura’s uncle, and was a nice, familiar, neutral ground that wouldn’t assert too much pressure on Keith.

Pidge and Keith had arrived first, grabbing drinks and a seat in the back corner. Keith had to make a conscious effort not to grit his teeth in his anxiety. He kept shooting the door furtive looks, hoping that Hunk had just forgotten to show up. After a few minutes, though, he was disappointed. A big guy in a yellow t-shirt and cargo pants walked into the shop, followed by a lanky kid in a baseball tee.

Pidge whispered to him, “Big guy is Hunk, and the other one is Lance, his roommate.”

Keith forced himself to smile, and looked over the two men who had walked in and waved at them. _The tall guy is cute…_ he involuntarily thought, feeling his face tense up. He started to get nervous as he watched them approach their table.

“Hey, Hunk, Lance! This is my best friend, Keith,” Pidge said, introducing him to the pair.

Keith waved sheepishly, trying his best to smile up at them.

“’Sup?” Hunk said enthusiastically, and Lance echoed his greeting.

“Nothing much, just waiting for you to get here!” Pidge cut in, relieving Keith of the burden of conversation. “Have you ever been here before?”

The two men shook their heads, and Lance said, “I’ll have to see what kind of magic they work here. Be right back.”

Hunk sat at the table and called out, “Get me an iced coffee!” To which Lance responded with a thumb's up.

“So, Keith, what are you majoring in?” Hunk asked, turning his attention to the ball of anxiety sitting to his left.

“I’m majoring in elementary education. What about you?” Keith asked.

“I’m a mechanical engineer—that’s how I met Pidge. Lance is a journalism major,” Hunk replied, gesturing at Lance, who was returning to the table.

“Lance is a what?” He asked, setting Hunk’s coffee in front of him and taking a seat.

“A journalism major.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. I’m wanting to write lifestyle articles for magazines. I’m open to branching out to other topics, but I think that more men should be educated about things like personal hygiene,” he smacked a palm on the table emphatically, “everyone has a right to beautiful skin and hair!”

Keith blinked at him, unsure about this guy. “You seem…pretty passionate about this, Lance,” he said, eyeing Pidge with uncertainty.

“Oh, he is. I think it stems from being made fun of as a kid for acne,” Hunk interjected, earning himself a shove from Lance.

“Dude, _not cool_!”

“Just saying, you have a good reason for being so into that stuff. Also, you know I’m ten-out-of-ten jealous of your skin—you practically glow, my man,” Hunk said nonchalantly, smiling at Keith.

 _You know what? He is kind of glowing…_ Keith thought, staring a little too long at Lance’s face.

“What?” Lance asked, jolting Keith out of his thoughts.

“Oh, um, nothing. I was just checking to see if Hunk was full of shit or not,” Keith replied, grateful that he could formulate a sentence rather than just gawk.

“Well? Is he?” Lance prodded, leaning forward.

“Nope,” Keith replied nonchalantly.

Lance looked mildly satisfied, and the group seemed to relax. The rest of the meeting went smoothly, but Pidge couldn’t help but notice something was brewing underneath the surface between Keith and Lance. She just wasn’t sure what.

***

A few weeks later, Keith opened his phone to an unexpected text message.

** Lance McClain **

**> Hey, how’s it going?**

**> It’s lance.**

**> you know, pidge’s friend.**

< _I know. You gave me your number_

_< Hey by the way. It’s ok_

_< Do you…need something?  
_ **> Oh, yeah, hunk wanted to know if you wanna come over and play video games. We have 5 nights at freddy’s and I wanna scare the shit out of hunk.**

< _Are you sure that’s such a good idea?_

**> no, but he ate my cereal so**

**> payback**

_< well that’s a little extreme don’t you think_

**> No u don’t understand**

**> it was reese’s puffs**

**> I found it on amazon **

**> I haven’t had that since I was 7. It’s important to me.**

_< oh shit_

_< he deserves it then_

_< that stuff is 10/10_

**> so you in**

_< Sure what time?_

**> likeeeee**

**> 6:30 **

**> we’re getting pizzaaaa**

_< ……_

_< wait but what kind tho_

**> hunk gets pineapple but I like supreme**

_< damn_

_< I’m lactose intolerant but supreme pizza is worth it_

_< I will suffer in silence_

**> dude we can get something else lol**

_< no I’ve already made up my mind I want pizza now._

**> haha ok**

**> see u at 6:30 then**

_< k cool_

Keith let the phone drop onto his face and groaned. “Seriously, Keith? What the _hell_?” He got up from his bed and dug around in his bag, grumbling to himself.

His phone began to ring, and he swiped right without looking at the caller ID.

“Yo.”

“Hey, loser. What are you doing tonight?” Pidge asked on the other side of the line.

“Hanging out with Lance and Hunk, apparently, you?” he replied.

“Doing a raid. I’ll let the guys know that you aren’t going to make it.”

“Cool, thanks. I haven’t checked the chat today—I didn’t even know they were doing one. But cool, ok,” he said, sitting back on his bed and leaning on pillows. “So…Lance texted me instead of Hunk.”

“Really?” Pidge’s reply was faint, like she had put down the phone.

“Yeah. Wait, what are you doing?” He asked. She replied with a clanking noise, which Keith took to mean ‘ _I’m making mac’n’cheese!_ ’. “Oh. Well, he texted me out of the blue. Usually Hunk invites me to group hangouts. It was weird.”

Pidge sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe Hunk was too busy to ask. Besides, you guys are civil—is it too unfathomable for him to be nice? I know for a fact he thinks you’re really cool.”

“Oh,” Keith mused.

“You sound disappointed.”

“I’m not!” Keith said defensively, “I’m just curious. He just doesn’t really initiate conversation with me... I’m overthinking it, aren’t I?”

“Well that’s not surprising,” Pidge replied. “Do you still think he’s cute?”

Keith spluttered, “W-what?” He didn’t recall saying that out loud, and was 75% sure that Pidge was just trying to get him to admit that yes, he thought Lance was really cute, but no, he wasn’t _interested_ in him.

“Do not _lie_ to me—I know you think he’s cute. You stare at him every time we hang out. Hell, _I_ think he’s cute. Albeit in a ‘aw look a cute puppy’ kind of way,” Pidge said. “I think that you should at least try to get to know him better. He’s a good time.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ve only known him a few weeks—and I don’t want to kill the friend group at its genesis,” Keith acquiesced. “Thanks, K.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll send you my bill. I’m going to eat my mac’n’cheese, now. Love you, my dude.”

Keith hung up the phone after reciprocating the sentiment and decided it was time to put some clothes on. Looking around his room, he noticed that he had some chores that needed to get done before he could even think about goofing off with the guys.

After showering and getting 4 loads of laundry done, Keith was nearly ready to head over to Lance and Hunk’s apartment. He wasn’t quite sure what to wear, and found himself standing in front of his closet with a finger to his lips. He didn’t want to make it look like he was trying too hard, but he also didn’t want to look like he’d just rolled out of bed. After sorting through his clothing, he settled on a black v-neck and a pair of grey jeans, rolled at the ankles to show off his high-tops. Sighing and looking in the mirror, he shrugged at his reflection and decided that that was as good as it was going to get. Texting Lance that he was on his way, he headed out the door and locked it behind him.

 

***

Hunk was screaming, “Dude I _hate you_ ,” over and over during their video game escapade. Lance was cackling like an idiot, and Keith couldn’t help but shake his head at the spectacle in front of them. Hunk was _clearly_ not a horror game kind of guy, and Lance _definitely_ knew that. Keith was honestly surprised that Lance was so calm, and when asked about it, Lance replied, “I’ve played this game a million times—I’m kind of desensitized now.”

Although Keith wasn’t easily scared, he wasn’t the biggest fan of jump-scare horror. He’d never played the game before, so Lance was intermittently explaining how it worked. He understood the objective of the game, but not the appeal. Lance had said Hunk hadn’t ever played it; that it was Lance and Pidge’s thing. Somehow that didn’t really surprise him. He sat back, hugging a pillow, and found his shoulder nearly touching Lance’s. Lance’s face was illuminated by the television screen, a grin spreading across his face as he watched Hunk play. Keith caught himself staring a few times, but quickly refocused his attention on the TV or his phone. He checked in every now and then with Pidge to see how the raid was going, and she asked him how ‘bro night’ was so far. He wasn’t quite sure how to answer that, but he felt like it was going well enough.

The electricity in the game gave out, and Hunk jumped two feet into the air when the animatronics attacked. He threw the wireless mouse across the room and glared at Lance. “Why. Would. You. Do. That. To. Me,” he said, in between heaving breaths. “You _know_ I hate those kinds of games!”

Lance grinned. “But you loved it, though. It’s super addicting.”

Hunk squinted at him, then sat down heavily onto the couch. He sighed. “Okay, yes, it was fun—but also the most scarring experience of my life.”

Lance laughed and got up to hug him. “I’m sorry, I hope you aren’t too freaked out. We can do something a little less terrifying now that retribution has been had.”

Hunk sunk into the couch and nodded, looking at Keith. “Was that as awful for you as it was for me?” He asked.

“No, not really,” Keith replied. “But I don’t get scared that easily. It was a pretty freaky concept, though.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Animatronics coming to life and trying to murder you—super fun,” Hunk said sarcastically, giving Lance another glare, who laughed in response.

“Blame Pidge, she’s the one who got me hooked on it. The first time we played I screamed for five minutes straight,” Lance admitted, getting on his hands and knees to look at their DVD collection. “Changing the subject—what do you guys want to do? Watch a movie?”

“That’s fine,” Keith said, and Hunk nodded in agreement.

The boys decided on a classic, _The Emperor’s New Groove_ (because, “it’s a cinematic masterpiece and my favorite movie so _we’re watching it_ ”) and Lance and Keith found themselves sitting next to each other on the couch.

Keith, oblivious as ever, didn’t notice the glances Lance gave him as they watched: gauging his reactions to funny moments, or watching him furrow his eyebrows at particularly harrowing parts. To him, this was just a bros’ night, where Lance and Hunk wanted to get to know him better. Lance, however, had an ulterior motive.

 

***

 

“Was I too obvious?” Lance asked later, once Keith had left. “Do you think he noticed?”

Hunk watched him pace back and forth in their living room, and sighed. “No, I don’t think he noticed you gawking at him the whole time.”

Lance shot him a look and sighed. “I think he hates me.”

“No, he doesn’t hate you,” Hunk said, “I think he just doesn’t know what to _do_ with you. You still haven’t known each other for very long, and he’s not exactly the most forthcoming person with feelings.”

“Har har,” Lance scoffed, “You see the way he looks at me, though. Every time I say _anything_ to him, he gets this scowl on his face.” To emphasize his point, he attempted to mimic the stony face that usually graced Keith’s visage.

“Yeah, but you don’t see how he looks at you when you aren’t talking to him,” Hunk said, nonchalantly taking a sip from his cup. “He looks at you the same way you look at him.”

Lance whirled around. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah, dude. I think he at least thinks you’re good-looking,” Hunk replied, fiddling with a decorative pillow. “On the other hand, he could just be staring at you because it’s polite to pay attention while someone is talking—“

“—and I’m always talking, yes, I get the dig. Do we even know if he’d be into me like that? Does he know I’d be into _him_ like that?” Lance said, eyes widening. “What if I’m just imagining things? Hunk—what if he’s _straight_?”

Hunk pursed his lips. “I don’t think he is. He was practically mooning over you.”

“I’m asking Pidge.”

“Or you could do that,” Hunk sighed, turning his attention to his phone. The two of them waited in silence so earnestly for Pidge’s response, that when it finally came, the noise made them jump.

“What does it say?” Hunk asked.

Lance looked at the message.

 

** Pidgeridoo **

 

**_> nope._ **

 

Lance threw his phone across the room.

 

***

 

“So how was bro night?” Pidge asked the next day, at their weekly breakfast meeting.

Keith mumbled, “S’okay,” around a mouthful of pancake. “I think I’m becoming one of the bros.”

Pidge gave him a thumb's up. “You did the thing! I’m so proud.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance confesses to Keith, and...it doesn't go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys idek. 
> 
> TW: panic attack, anxiety  
> (if you would like to skip, stop at "I can’t calm down." and start again at "Hunk shook his head and patted Lance on the shoulder.")

“Keith, wait!”

Keith turned back, staring as Lance jogged to catch up with him. “What?”

Lance took a deep breath and said, “Look, I didn’t mean to say that. Not now.” He met Keith’s eyes, and looked sincere, but Keith didn’t want to get hurt again.

“Look, Lance, you’re really cool, and all, but I just…” Keith trailed off, thinking. _I just don’t want to be vulnerable again,_ he thought. _I just want to squish these feelings down and forget about them. I just want to be friends—not mess up the friend group._ A million thoughts ran through his head, but he only managed to say, “I just don’t feel that way about you.”

Lance looked at him, stricken, but nodded slowly. “Yeah, yeah sure. I get it. Of course, why would you like me,” he gave a half-hearted chuckle, “totally. No, you’re good—I’ll just…I’ll just leave you alone, then. I mean, not alone-alone—we still hang out with a group, after all—I’ll just…I’ll stop bugging you. I’m sorry,” he said, looking down at his feet. He looked crushed, but Keith held his ground. He couldn’t afford to break; not this time.

Keith attempted a smile. “It’s all good, man. I won’t make it weird, I promise. I’m not mad or anything—I swear. Thanks for telling me. You’re a good guy, Lance. I don’t plan to end the friendship—I hope you don’t either. You’re too important to me.”

Lance nodded, trying his best to return the smile, but it never reached his eyes. Keith was heartbroken; he couldn’t bring himself to tell Lance how he really felt, but let’s be honest…Since when had people liked Keith after they really got to know him?

“Well…I better go back inside. I’m sorry for dragging you all the way out here for something as lame as that,” Lance said, turning to go back inside.

Keith shrugged, and tried to console him at least a little; “You don’t live that far away—and it was important for you to say, and I respect that. I’m sorry I just…dipped out at the end, there. I wasn’t sure what to say, and you know me—I just kind of run away when things get uncomfortable. –Not that you make me uncomfortable! I…dammit, I’m just sorry. That’s all.” He grimaced, realizing he wasn’t very good at the whole “consolation” thing.

Lance waved him off, and Keith took that as a sign to go. He trudged to his car, getting in and gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. Once Lance had gone inside, he hit his head against it, shouting. _Why can’t I just let myself be_ happy _???_ He thought angrily. He jabbed the key into the ignition and pulled away, desperate to head home and crawl into bed.

***

Lance went back inside the apartment and threw himself on the couch. He bit his lip, trying not to cry, and saw Hunk emerge from his room. “Hey.”

Lance sniffed, failing at keeping the tears at bay. “Hey.”

Hunk looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Lance, I really…I really thought he felt the same. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said, frowning. “He was so…attentive? And jumped at the chance to spend time with you—I-I don’t know, that doesn’t make any sense to me. Maybe I’m an idiot.”

Lance shook his head, gripping the seat of the couch angrily. “I’m so pissed.”

Hunk looked surprised. “Why? I would have thought sad, sure, but angry?”

“I _know_ he has feelings for me. I could tell by the look on his face. It wasn’t the pity look, Hunk. I’ve gotten that before. This was the ‘ _I don’t want to get hurt’_ look,” Lance spat, grabbing a pillow and shoving it over his face, screaming into it.

Hunk raised his eyebrows, concerned. “Are you sure you’re not just saying that to make yourself feel better? It’s fine if you are, I just don’t want you to get your hopes up…”

Lance threw the pillow to the ground and shot to a sitting position, wild-eyed. “Hunk. You don’t understand. There’s something holding him back. I can’t just _let it go_ or move on. I just can’t…” Lance’s voice broke, and tears started to flow down his face. “Look, Hunk, I’ve never liked _anybody_ this much before. It’s driving me crazy. I may have to stop hanging out with everyone. I-I can’t do it…I know it’s only been a year that we’ve known each other, but…Hunk I’m afraid he’s _it._ ”

Hunk furrowed his eyebrows, even more concerned than before. He moved to sit by Lance on the couch and put a hand on his arm. “What do you mean?”

Lance covered his face with a hand, nearly choking on sobs. “I’m…I’m…I don’t know, man. I’m just really torn up about it. Like, what the fuck is his _deal_?”

“Lance, you have _got_ to calm down.” Hunk tried to pull him into a hug, but Lance tore himself off the couch and began pacing frantically.

“I can’t _calm down_. I’m losing my fucking _mind_ over this dumb, emo asshole. I can’t stop thinking about that stupid excuse he gave me.” Lance stopped, suddenly, and wrung his hands. _‘I just don’t feel that way about you’,_ he thought. _What a load of shit_. His breathing quickened, and he felt blackness creeping into his line of vision. He felt like the air around him was heavy, closing in and squeezing the life out of him. His ears rang as his knees buckled, refusing to take his weight any longer.

“Oh, shit,” Hunk muttered, lunging forward to catch Lance as he sunk to the ground. “Buddy—Lance, you gotta breathe. Can you hear me?” Hunk bit his lip as Lance blinked hard and struggled to sit up.

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had one of those,” Lance said softly, tucking his knees to his chest. “Thanks, dude. I’m sorry.”

Hunk shook his head and patted Lance on the shoulder. “It’s fine. You ok? I can get you some water…” Lance nodded, and Hunk made sure he was sitting stably before he got up to get a glass.

“This whole thing has just messed me up,” Lance sighed, hugging his knees tighter. “I’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. I’ll be okay,” he repeated to himself quietly as he waited for Hunk to return.

“Is it cool if I hug you?” Hunk asked as he set the glass of water down on their coffee table. Lance nodded, and Hunk gently wrapped his arms around him. Lance relaxed after a moment, grateful that Hunk understood; it had been a while since he’d had a panic attack, and paired with the whole Keith thing…it was a lot. He knew he shouldn’t press the issue with Keith, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Keith was lying to him. He just didn’t understand _why._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey back at it again with the Klance ayeee. I have no idea why I felt angst, but I wanted to write some Langst and I'm really sorry. You guys know they live happily ever after, though, so I hope it doesn't hurt too badly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk feels the need to intervene, because Keith was being a real dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaahhh I'm sorry for the angst in the last chapter!!! This one will be happier I swear. <3  
> also I'm really sorry the formatting suuuucks for the text messages, I'll try to figure out how to fix it later.

**< Hunk>**

9:15 pm 4/12/17

 

>hey

< _ hey- what's up? _

>so...it's none of my business...but you really fucked Lance up the other day. 

< _ excuse me? _

>when you came over a week and a half ago? And then just suddenly left? 

_ <...oh _

>yeah. 

_ <what...happened? _

>he had a panic attack. 

>and now has barely eaten or come out of his room the whole week. 

<....

>yeah. 

< _...I don't really know what to say. _

>talk to him. Please. 

>he deserves better than this, dude. 

_ <...I know.  _

_ <I just..I don't wanna fuck up everything we had?  _

>that's kind of...selfish? 

>you lead him on for what, months? And now you're just...pulling this shit? Dude not cool 

_ <I wasn't leading him on _

>what was it I saw, then? You being “friendly”?

_ <no, like...I meant the way I acted.  _

_ <i really do care about him.  _

_ <I just chickened out  _

>....

>are you fcking serious rn 

_ <no? _

>okay, Lance has the patience of Job and is basically a god if he likes you this fuckin much 

_ <...I don't really know how to answer that? _

>I stfg if you don't talk to him about this 

>you don't wanna know

>you're my friend but Lance is my brother, man. he deserves better treatment. You're a good dude, Keith, but dammit if you aren't as dense as a rock sometimes 

_ <ha, yeah..I've been told.  _

_ <...I'll talk to him _

>It'll work out. He really likes you, man. You're a lucky guy. 

_ <yeah. I know.  _

>see ya. Good luck. 

 

***   
  


After agonizing over Hunk’s words the rest of the night, and the following morning, Keith decided he really did need to tell Lance the truth. He'd ignored him for a week, and he had found out that Lance wasn't even going to come to Game Night: one of his favorite get-togethers of the month. 

  
**< Lance McClain>**   
12:37 pm 4/13/17

 

_ <hey.  _ __  
_ <can we talk? _ __  
> **um**   
> **yeah ig** ****  
> **what do you want.**   
  
Keith winced at Lance's tone, but continued.    
  
_ <I'm really sorry _ __  
_ <I think we should talk in person _ __  
_ <but if you don't want to see me I understand  _ __  
> **ok** ****  
> **I would rather text though**   
< __ okay .   
> **but really what do you want to talk about**

  
  
Keith took a deep breath, and just decided to go for it.

_ <last week I wasn't being totally honest with you. I should have just told you the truth. ...I do like you. A lot. I just...I couldn't tell you then.  _

 

Keith watched the little speech bubble come up as he waited, terrified, as Lance responded. 

 

> **...what?** ****  
> **if you're fucking with me I'm gonna be pissed** ****  
> **it's not funny Keith**   
_ <I'm not joking.  _ __  
_ <I mean it.  _ __  
_ <I honestly do feel the same way. I just chickened out and let my brain get in the way _ __  
> **...wtf** ****  
> **I'm like, happy, but also I could ducking murder you** ****  
> **fucking***   
_ <I know _ __  
_ <I'm sorry _ __  
> **do you even know what you put me through? What the hell, man?**   
_ <I know _ .    
> **im shaking**   
> **are you serious though** ****  
> **like not kidding**   
_ <not kidding _ .    
> **....**   
> **give me like, a day to process this.**   
_ <a day?  _ __  
> **don't talk to me for a day**   
> **that shouldn't be too hard since you hadn’t bothered to reach out to me when I stopped responding to you.**   
__ <ouch ok   
> **sorry**   
> **that's why I need space so I don't say shit like that. I need to think about this.**

> **ok just...call or text me tomorrow.**   
_ <okay.  _ __  
> **bye**   
_ <Goodbye, Lance.  _ __  


  
Keith threw his phone across the room and curled up into his blankets. He felt like shit. How was he supposed to know Lance would freak out? _ Well, you have known him for a year,  _ his conscience reminded him. He thought about his talk with Hunk. He really had been selfish...that whole week, Lance had been holed up, grieving. He hoped that someday he'd be able to make it up to him. 

 

He sighed heavily, flipping onto his side and tucking his knees to his chin. He was just going to give him space and see how Lance felt later about the whole thing. 

 

***

 

“This is ridiculous.”

 

Hunk flicked his eyes up to where Lance was looming over him, and put down the book he was reading. Indulging his roommate, he asked, “What is?”

 

Lance thrust his phone at Hunk, showing him the exchange he and Keith had just finished. “So come to find out, he really  _ did _ lie to me, and now he wants to fix things? This guy is an idiot.”

 

Hunk peered at the screen, deciding not to tell Lance about his conversation the previous day. “Well, hey, he likes you though! You were right!”

 

“Yeah, I  _ know _ that, but what now? Where does that leave us?” Lance asked, dragging a hand down his face. “Hunk, this is insane.”

 

Hunk patted his friend on the arm consolingly. “I know.”

 

“I'm just…scared? What do I do?” Lance asked, putting his head in his hands. He stared wide-eyed at the ground. “He's going to be the death of me.”

 

“It'll be okay,” Hunk said, “it'll all work out. I promise. I'm glad he was honest though. I'm sure he feels horrible.”

 

Lance continued to stare at the carpet, wordlessly. Hunk sighed and leaned back into his spot, picking his book back up and letting Lance process everything. He really was glad Keith was honest, even though he needed some not-so-gentle prodding in the right direction. 

 

***

 

After Lance’s requested waiting period had expired, Keith ventured an apprehensive, ‘ _ Coffee? _ ’ To Lance’s inbox. Lance looked at his phone with a grimace, but sent a thumb’s up in response. “I am so not ready for this…” he muttered to himself. Taking a look at the scheduled meet-up time, he busied himself with making his hair and face look presentable as he waited. 

 

An hour later, Lance pulled up to the coffee shop nervously, and saw an equally nervous Keith sitting at a table outside, waiting. Keith looked nauseated; it made Lance feel a little better. 

 

“Hey,” Lance said, approaching him. 

 

Keith stood up, causing his chair to clatter backward. “Um...hey,” he replied, not meeting Lance’s eyes. 

 

“Well, I think the first thing you should do is buy me a hazelnut latte, and then explain this nonsense you dropped on me out of the blue,” Lance said, giving his best attempt at nonchalance, and gently grabbed Keith’s wrist to pull him inside. His grip was light, but warm, and sent sparks of electricity up and down Keith's arm. Keith nodded dumbly, and Lance rolled his eyes with a small smile. 

 

Once the two had drinks in hand, they chose a comfortable couch that was hidden from the rest of the shop. Keith looked uncomfortable, but determined. Lance’s stomach was in knots as he waited for Keith to explain himself. 

 

“First off, I want to apologize. I was really selfish, but I want you to understand that I was just trying to protect you from…me, and my issues,” Keith began, staring at his clasped hands.  _ Stop sweating, _ he ordered himself. 

 

“When you confessed to me, I panicked. I thought of how amazing you were, and how someone like me would just hold you back from being the lively, wonderful person you are.”

 

Lance’s eyes widened in surprise, and he raised an eyebrow. “You think I'm lively all the time, though? Man, I sure thought you knew me better,” he interjected. 

 

Keith cocked his head, and Lance explained; “I'm super fuckin’ insecure, dude. Like, every time you acted like you were into me, I still couldn't believe that someone was  _ actually  _ interested. Or even  _ could  _ be interested. But then, when you said you  _ didn't  _ like me...all of that fear that I was reading you wrong the whole time came back? And it was too much.” He shrugged helplessly. “Like, what was I supposed to do? Just walk away? I like you too much to do that—as a friend, at the very least.” He paused a moment, pursing his lips. 

 

“If you had told me you never wanted to see me again, of course, I would have backed the fuck off, but you encouraged me to stay friends with you. And then, you treated me like you used to, and I couldn’t handle it. Which is why I locked myself in the apartment for a week,” Lance said, not meeting Keith’s eyes. 

 

Keith's heart dropped. He didn't realize his attempts to help their relationship return to normal was so painful for Lance. He was just trying to show Lance he still cared about him…despite not being able to reciprocate at the time. 

 

“Lance, I...I'm so sorry,” Keith said, tentatively placing a hand on Lance’s arm. Lance didn't jerk away, which he took to be a good sign. “I will make this right. I don't know how or how long it will take, but I will.” 

 

Lance looked him in the eye, mouth a thin line and brows furrowed in thought. Keith felt uneasy. Lance sighed. “I'm holding you to that,” he whispered, attempting to rebuild his cheerful facade. He let out a breathy chuckle and pulled away from Keith to stand. “Well, if that's all…” He trailed off, arms stretched behind his head. 

 

Keith nodded vaguely, then looked up when Lance cleared his throat pointedly. Lance was staring holes into him, looking somewhere between amused and impatient. “What?”

 

Lance sighed, gathered up his empty coffee cup to dispose it, and looked back at Keith. “Anything else you would like to say? Or am I going to have to do everything?” Lance asked. He was smirking.

 

Keith looked bemused, and Lance just rolled his eyes again. “Rhymes with ‘great’, when two people spend time together  _ alone _ , usually doing an activity together?” He prodded, and Keith shook his head. “Seriously? You still don’t understand.” Keith shook his head again, and Lance clapped a hand over his face. 

 

_ Keith is the most dense person in the entire universe _ , Lance thought. Taking a deep breath, Lance declared, “You’re _supposed_ to be asking me out right about now.” He suppressed a grin at the look of shock that crossed Keith’s features. 

 

“...Wait, you  _ still _ want to go out with me? After all the stuff I just put you through? Are you nuts?” Keith asked, flabbergasted.  _ How can he be willing to try this out, even after I was such a dick to him? _ He thought. 

 

Lance shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets leisurely. “Look, dude, I’ve liked you a long time. I was going to keep liking you until you told me it was never, ever going to happen, and you completely ditched me as both a friend and a person. So...I guess I’m choosing to look at this in a good light?”

 

Keith nodded, mouth agape, and Lance gently tugged him out of his chair by the elbow. He grabbed Keith’s cup for him, and led a  _ very _ dazed young man out of the coffee shop. He chuckled and pressed a light kiss to Keith’s cheek. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Thanks for  _ finally  _ being honest with me. You can make it up to me in the future, when we’re old and grey, yelling at kids to get off our beautifully manicured lawn.”

 

Keith turned bright pink and watched Lance get into his car and pull out of the parking lot. “ _ Holy shit, that just happened, _ ” Keith whispered to himself, feeling his heart skip a few beats as he got into his own car. He got out his phone and pulled up his message thread with Pidge:

 

**<** **K Holt** **>**

3:48 pm

 

_ <Keith.exe has stopped working. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for your comments and kudos! They make my day, I love reading what you all think of my writing. I'm really enjoying telling this story; I love these two nerds.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other side of the story; what happened when Keith got home after Lance confessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this may be confusing, especially after the last chapter, but _don't worry_! This is what happens in between 3 and 4, but I wanted to alternate a little and do flashbacks on flashbacks. :D I hope you like it! Big thanks to neoninthelookingglass on tumblr for helping me out and being my beta reader!

The night Lance confessed, Keith rushed up his steps, taking them two at a time, and practically burst into his apartment. He closed the door and leaned back against it, running a hand through his hair.  _ What have I done? _ He asked himself, leaning down to yank off his shoes and throw them by the door. He threw his keys nowhere in particular and went straight to his room, landing heavily on the bed. 

 

He couldn't get the look on Lance’s face out of his mind. He looked devastated; his blue eyes darkened and his face went  _ just _ slack enough to notice. Keith groaned, mashing the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I just was trying to protect him from  _ me _ !” He shouted, grabbing the nearest pillow and flinging it across the room. “ _ Ugh.” _

 

He turned over into his stomach and buried his face in the pillow that remained on his bed. He could feel his chest constricting as he played their conversation over and over. 

 

_ “Hey, Keith...um...there's something I wanted to tell you,” Lance said, failing to meet Keith's eyes. The two of them were sitting on the couch together, and Lance had propped his feet up on the coffee table.  _

 

_ Keith chuckled and replied, “Well, you did say ‘Hey can we talk?’ on the phone, so I assumed there was something you wanted to say.” He noticed the nervous look on Lance’s face and he furrowed his eyebrows. “What's wrong?” _

 

_ Lance took a shuddering breath (which concerned the hell out of Keith) and looked him in the eyes. “You know we pride ourselves on honesty.” _

 

_ “Yes…?” _

 

_ “Well I wouldn't be being honest with you if I didn't let you know. It's been bothering me for  _ months _ , and I couldn't handle not telling you,” Lance said, rambling. He fidgeted, crossing and uncrossing his legs.  _

 

_ “Lance, chill. It's not like you murdered anyone, right?” Keith said, laying a hand on his shoulder, then gave Lance a surprised look when he shook Keith off.  _

 

_ “Keith, I need you to listen to me,  _ please.  _ It's hard enough to say flat out.” Keith nodded, and Lance continued. “Over the past year, we’ve gotten really close–that's been awesome, especially since we started out a little rocky–and I love the way our friendship is now. But...I'd be lying if I said I didn't have feelings for you.” _

 

_ Keith blinked at him, and Lance groaned. “Like  _ romantic _ feelings.” _

 

_ Keith's eyes widened, and panic crossed his features. “...what?” _

 

_ Lance took another deep breath and repeated himself. “I have romantic feelings for you.” _

 

_ Keith twisted his hands together and sent furtive glances at the door. Lance raised an eyebrow and twisted the corner of his shirt anxiously. “Keith?” _

 

_ “I…I've gotta go,” Keith said, shooting to a standing position and lunging toward the door without a backwards glance. _

 

No, no, no, _ he thought desperately.  _ Why? He can't–why would he...?  _ Keith had made it down the stairs when he heard Lance call his name. Turning around, he did his best to let him down easy.  _ It's not that I don't like you, Lance–I'm just afraid you won't like  _ me _ when you get to know me,  _ he thought.  _

 

He really liked Lance. Honestly. When he thought about it, he'd probably liked him since they met. But Lance was so...vibrant. He oozed confidence, and was so  _ caring _ , that if it wasn't so genuine, Keith would be suspicious. But Lance always put his friends first. He had taken care of Keith's needs before his own more times over the last year than Keith could count. He was amazing.

 

...and Keith? He was broody, moody, and had so many issues that the list would probably be the size of a small novel. He had abandonment issues, anger issues; intrusive thoughts; he was damaged, and he desperately didn't want that to rub off on Lance. Before he was adopted, his foster parents had even warned Shiro’s that he was  _ difficult _ . To put it lightly. He had worked really hard to improve since he graduated high school, but that didn’t mean he was  _ fine _ . 

 

He’d just recently become close with Lance, anyway. They both were staying at school for the summer, and over the previous year had gotten to the point where Keith spent more time with Lance than he did with Pidge. (Which was saying something.) They had moved past their petty competitions, and stopped taking potshots at each other over every little thing. Keith actually  _ enjoyed _ hanging out with Lance. 

 

And now he’d gone and fucked everything up.

 

He felt his phone buzz, and he noticed that he received a text from Pidge. She'd informed him of her imminent arrival, and he groaned, realizing they’d planned to hang out later that evening. He sighed.  _ Guess I'll get to tell her what happened _ , he thought darkly. 

 

A few minutes later, he heard a rap at his door, which he promptly answered. Before him stood a ruffled, be-sweatered 17 year old who did not look happy. 

 

“So I heard something  _ interesting _ happened today,” she declared, breezing past him and kicking off her shoes. “Hunk told me Lance came inside and sobbed after you left. Care to explain why that might be?” Her bluntness, albeit usually one of Keith’s favorite things about her, was not welcome in this circumstance. 

 

“I rejected him. He doesn't deserve to deal with the baggage I have,” Keith replied simply, crossing his arms. 

 

“Oh, really? Do you have the right to say that?” Pidge countered, mirroring his posture. “Seriously? You've been pining after him for a year, he  _ finally _ tells you how he feels, and then  _ this?”  _ She sounded exasperated, and Keith noticed her hair was a little puffy from repeatedly carding through it. 

 

“Hey, don't blame me—you were the one pushing us along.”

 

Pidge scoffed, “Are you fucking kidding? You're trying to pin this on  _ me? _ ” She threw up her hands. “I was trying to  _ help you _ , dumbass. You obviously liked him—I was just giving you a gentle nudge.”

 

“Oh really? Locking us in a closet for ‘seven minutes in heaven’ was not the  _ best _ course of action.”

 

“How was  _ I  _ supposed to know he was claustrophobic?? Besides, that's not the  _ point. _ The  _ point _ is that you are being a major dick, because you led him on for a year and now won't even grow a pair to tell him how you feel,” Pidge said, nearly shouting.

 

She took a deep breath, steepling her fingers. “Look, Keith—I don't know what you're trying to do here, but you need to take a long, hard look at how you really feel. Because Lance is my friend, too. If I thought you weren't interested, I wouldn't push. But Keith, come on.” Pidge gave him a look that Keith couldn't match. He stared firmly at a spot on the carpet, choosing to focus on the feeling of the rough fibers on his feet. 

 

“—Keith, are you listening?” Pidge asked, and Keith looked up, blinking. 

 

“What?”

 

“Never mind. Just, do what you want, but please don't just ditch him. Really try to ease things into normalcy. He needs you as a friend, if anything,” she said, and Keith could see the sadness in her eyes. 

 

“I almost confessed to him a couple of months ago,” Keith whispered. 

 

Pidge’s eyebrows hit the ceiling. “ _ What?” _

 

“Yeah.”

 

She blinked at him. “And  _ why didn't you?” _ She demanded. 

 

“Nyma.”

 

Recognition dawned on Pidge’s face, and she groaned. “But he told you she's not interested, right?” Keith nodded. “Well, then what's the problem?” She asked. 

 

“I couldn't tell him,” Keith said. “I made a decision to move on. I knew I would just stifle him if anything came of it, so I just...kept it to myself.”

 

Pidge closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the ceiling. “So let me get this straight—you  _ really _ like Lance. You  _ almost  _ tell him. He hurts your feelings by going out with Nyma—where nothing happened—and comes back and apologizes.” She crossed her arms and looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “Is that accurate?”

 

Keith shrugged. “Yeah.”

 

“ _ And?”  _ Pidge prodded. 

 

“And I decided that I wanted to preserve the fragile friendship we have,” Keith replied. 

 

“Wha…” Pidge flailed her arms. “ _ Keith _ .  _ He would have said yes if you had asked him out then. _ ”

 

Keith looked at her suspiciously. “Then why did he make such a big deal out of going out with Nyma?? Why didn't he tell me sooner?”

 

Pidge looked like she was about to pull her own hair out. “Keith, _ oh my god,  _ he thought you'd reject him!”

 

Keith gave her a shocked look. “Yeah,” she reiterated. “I know.”

 

“W-What?” He whispered.

 

“Lance thought you’d reject him, so he’d been trying to move on. He had thought Nyma was cute for a while, so he was excited that she showed interest. Even though that interest turned out to be platonic,” Pidge explained. “You know he rarely gets any attention like that, and he just wanted you to be happy for him.”

 

“I know.”

 

“I mean, I can see why you didn’t want to confess to him after that debacle, but...geez, now, when he  _ reciprocates _ , you just...lied to him?” Pidge asked, still baffled why Keith was being so stubborn. She was starting to appreciate her lack of interest in romance. 

 

“I didn’t really  _ lie _ …” Keith said, “I just...stretched the truth a little.”

 

“How is it stretching the truth?”

 

“I’m not interested in him the way he’s interested in me. I like him, sure, but I don’t feel the same things he does.”

 

“Wait...are you afraid he won’t understand?” Pidge asked, eyes wide as she began to understand. Keith looked away, wilting.

 

She walked over to him and put an arm around him. “Keith.”

 

Keith still refused to look at her, jaw clenched tightly in an attempt to shut out tears. 

 

“He does know, though, right?”

 

Keith nodded, breathing heavily through his nose. 

 

“And you care for him romantically, right?”

 

Keith looked up at the ceiling, feeling tears start to leak out of the corners of his eyes. “Yes.”

 

“He likes you for  _ you _ , Keith. You do understand that, right?” Pidge asked gently. 

 

Keith gave her a watery look and she sighed. “Oh, Keith.” She gave him a tight hug. “Why didn’t you talk to me about this before? Why didn’t you let me support you?”

 

Keith shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

 

“But you  _ know _ I will understand. I’m one of the only people who can, at least a little.”

 

“I know,” Keith said. “I know. I wasn’t thinking clearly then, and I wasn’t thinking clearly today. I’m just so worried that I’ll hurt him, Pidge.” 

 

Pidge looked at him, eyes a little shinier than usual. “You already did, Keith. I just hope that you figure things out, because I could tell he was making you really happy. Even if you didn’t notice yourself,” she said, sighing. 

 

“I will.”

 

At that, Pidge’s shoulders slumped. “Well, shit, now I'm too worked up to do anything fun. I'm just gonna go home,” she said, turning to put her shoes back on. Keith walked over to her and gently wrapped his arms around her in a loose hug. She slowly stood up and encircled his waist with her skinny arms. “You're gonna be okay, Keith. I promise,” she whispered, releasing him. “It’ll really be okay. 

 

Keith looked skeptical, but nodded. He waved goodbye as she headed down the steps from his apartment and sighed. He closed the door and locked it, resisting the urge to slide to the floor. He’ll act like everything's okay, no problem. Because it is. 

 

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry the fluff is coming i promise. 
> 
> Thank you so much as always for commenting and reading! I love hearing feedback and I am so grateful so many people are taking the time to read this story! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith go on their first date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Here is the first date you all have been waiting for! (From Keith's perspective). Thank you all for reading!!
> 
> Thanks to thosaka and shavothehusky on tumblr for giving me feedback!

Keith’s gut was twisting as he stood in front of his bathroom mirror, staring down his reflection. His hair was combed (for once), shirt fresh out of the dryer, accessories on…all he had left to do was put on his shoes and answer the door when the inevitable knock came. He jumped at the sound of his phone’s text alert, nervously swiping to view the message.

__________________

** <Lance McClain> **

5:30 pm

>hey, are you ready?

__________________

Keith fumbled with his passcode and hastily replied that yes, he was ready. He was ready _in theory_. His thoughts, however, refused to let his nerves be prepared for the date he was about to go on.

 

That entire concept—Lance wanting to date him—baffled Keith. It was mind-boggling. He was sure that after a year of unrequited pining, he’d finally be able to move on from the gorgeous, spaghetti-armed Cuban kid he cared about so much. Lance confessing was an event that had not even been within the realm of possibility for Keith…yet there he was, lacing his boots by the door, waiting for Lance to pick him up.

 

Lance hadn’t told Keith what he was planning, which was somewhat anxiety-inducing. He usually didn’t mind spontaneity, but in this particular case he would’ve liked to be a little more prepared. Shaking off the tendrils of worry that were creeping into his mind, he opened the front door when knuckles rapped against it.

 

Keith’s breath caught in his throat as the reality of the situation finally hit him. _I’m about to go on a date with_ Lance _,_ he thought. Smiling sheepishly, he greeted Lance with a soft, “Hey.”

 

Lance’s face was split with a toothy grin. “Hey,” he said, “you look really nice.” He considered Keith more thoughtfully; “ _Very_ nice.”

 

Keith blushed and mumbled, “You look nice, too.” Still smiling, he gestured for Lance to enter the apartment.

 

“You ready to go?” Lance asked, stepping over the threshold and looking around like it was his first time inside. The soft smile on his face made Keith’s heart flutter.

 

“Yeah, I’m ready. Just let me get my keys,” Keith replied, reaching around Lance to fish around in a basket by the door.

 

Lance nodded absently as he continued to look around. “You changed something,” he said.

 

Keith gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

 

“Something’s different,” Lance said, shrugging, “I’m not sure what it is, but something is different.”

 

Keith wracked his brain. “Uh…” He said eloquently. “I put up some new art?”

 

Lance smacked his forehead. “ _That’s_ it.” He looked appreciatively at the two canvases that hung on the wall, flanking the television. “They look really cool.”

 

They were abstract, nondescript shapes in muted colors that matched the interior of the apartment. “Yeah, I got bored and decided to paint them,” Keith replied, turning slightly pink with embarrassment. He wasn’t inclined to share his art with other people, even though he had literally hung it up in the middle of his living room. No one who’d come over so far had seemed to notice, or even cared to ask.

 

“I didn’t realize you paint,” Lance mused, cocking his head to look at the art from a different angle. “It looks like you used mixed media…Ink over acrylic?”

 

Keith’s eyes widened, and before he could stop himself, asked, “Actually, yeah. You know stuff about painting?” Realizing that could have sounded a little rude, he backtracked; “I didn’t realize you were into art.”

 

Lance shrugged. “My older sister is really into contemporary, and she’d drag me around to museums if we went on vacation somewhere. I can’t even tell you how many times she made me go to exhibits at the PAMM.  Not that I disliked it, or anything, it’s just that I prefer literature.” He gave him a lopsided smile. “I know good work when I see it though—you’ll have to paint something for me sometime.”

 

Keith blushed harder and averted his gaze in embarrassment. “O-okay…” He was anxious to get the attention off himself and get them moving out the door. “Don’t you think we should get going?” He asked.

 

Lance turned to look at him with a slightly dazed expression. He appeared to realize that he had been zoning out. Nodding, he put out his hand for Keith to take. “I’m a smidge spacey, sorry—meds have worn off a little.”

 

Keith took the offered hand and let himself be led out the door. Making sure to lock it behind them, he followed Lance down the steps to the parking lot. He couldn’t help but feel like his heart was going to beat out of his chest in anticipation.

 

***

 

He watched Lance tap the steering wheel rhythmically as they drove toward their still-undisclosed destination and felt his stomach knotting again. “So, where are we going, again?”

 

“I never said where we’re going in the first place,” Lance said, smirking, “so you can’t say ‘ _again’_.”

 

“Lance.”

 

“Fine, fine.” Lance looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “We’re going to the drive-in.”

 

Keith looked at him, surprised. “The drive-in? What movies are even out?”

 

Lance’s fingers continued to drum as he paused thoughtfully. “Well,” he said, “Do you like Batman?” He looked over at Keith and grinned. “Just kidding, I know you like Batman.”

 

“Wait…” Keith combed his memory, “ _The Dark Knight Rises_ just came out, right?”

 

Lance’s smile widened. “Yes.”

 

“It’s playing at the drive-in??”

 

“Yep,” Lance replied. “It most certainly is.”

 

“And you’re taking us to go see it.”

 

“Yep.”

 

Keith’s eyes were the size of saucers. “Wait.”

 

“What?”

 

“Do you have ulterior motives?” He asked, giving Lance a sidelong glance. He was mostly kidding, but…

 

Lance turned  away from the road to give him a scandalized look. “Keith Kogane! How could you think such a thing? I am a _gentleman_.”

 

Keith pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “Eyes on the road,” he said, pointing in front of him.

 

“Yes, mom,” he said, reluctantly facing forward. “But seriously, this is supposed to just be a nice date night. I promise. No pressure.” His ordinarily blithe expression sobered. “I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to get anything out of you. I like spending time with you, and whether anything comes of this or not, I’ll still enjoy spending time with you.”

 

Keith turned so he was leaning with his cheek against the passenger side window. His chest tightened as he thought of all the worries that had built up over the previous year; how he thought that Lance would tire of him eventually, because it would inevitably take longer for Keith to be comfortable than it would for any normal person.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Lance’s voice cut through Keith’s thoughts like a knife, startling him.

 

“What?” Keith asked dumbly, still wrapped up in his own insecurity.

 

Lance sighed, eyes not leaving the road this time. “You just got _really_ quiet. Like, I could hardly hear you _breathing_ , quiet. What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Lance scoffed. “Sure, I’m going to believe that.” Keith felt his eyes drift over him curiously. “If I guess correctly, would you tell me?”

 

Keith shrugged, pressing his cheek harder into the cool glass.

 

“I surmise that you are telling yourself that you aren’t normal because you need to feel intimately emotionally connected to someone before taking any further steps with them.”

 

Keith’s eyes snapped up. “ _What_?”

 

“You’re worried that I’ll get tired of you, right?” Lance asked simply. Keith was shocked, and Lance knew it. “Full disclosure, I may have talked to Pidge about it a few times.”

 

 _Dammit, Pidge, you traitor,_ Keith thought. “And?”

 

“And, what? It’s obvious you’re stuck with me for the time being, as long as you’ll have me.”

 

Keith could hardly process what Lance was saying. Before he could formulate a response, Lance continued, “Sorry, that’s kind of intense for me to say on a first date.” He gave Keith a soft smile. “But honestly, I don’t feel like this is a first date?”

 

“Oh?” Keith replied.

 

“Yeah,” Lance shifted in his seat as he turned into the drive-in movie theater, “I feel like this will be just like being friends, except turbo-charged with romance.” He turned to Keith and waggled his eyebrows.

 

A small smile broke across Keith’s face as he watched Lance pay for the tickets. “Turbo-charged, huh?”

 

Lance waved his hand around in the air. “Okay, I mean, I can’t say I _haven’t_ thought about making out with you once or twice.” He pulled into a spot and turned his whole torso to face Keith. “Ergo, turbo-charged friendship.”

 

Keith turned that information over in his mind. He couldn’t deny he that he’d thought more than once about touching that soft, tan skin of Lance’s…or running his fingers through his silky brown hair…or—

 

“Keith?”

 

Keith gave Lance a panicked look as he was shaken out of his reverie. “What?”

 

“You okay? I lost you for a minute there.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have zoned out,” Keith said, coughing into the back of his hand. Lance eyed him suspiciously, and Keith felt his ears start to get warm. “So, uh, what radio station do we have to use to listen to the movie?”

 

After tuning the radio, Lance mercifully stopped pressing him for details and the two of them settled into their seats, excited for the film to begin.

 

Keith was acutely aware of Lance’s hand as it slowly migrated from his lap, to the center console, to Keith’s arm rest, where it sat just barely grazing the material of Keith’s t-shirt. He felt his face heat up as Lance’s pinkie snagged a little of the fabric. _Oh my god,_ Keith thought, _I think he wants to hold my hand._ He sent furtive glances at Lance, all of which were ignored in favor of Bane fighting Batman. _He isn’t even_ aware _of what he’s doing!!_ Keith’s mind was racing, and he tried his best to return his focus to the action onscreen. Unfortunately, all he could think about was that damn pinkie caught in his shirt.

 

“Lance,” Keith whispered. No response. “ _Lance,_ ” he tried again, and Lance barely acknowledged him with a “hm?”

 

“What's, uh…what’s going on with your hand, bud?” Keith asked, kicking himself mentally. _What am I, a forty-year old dad?_ He watched Lance look down at his right hand in surprise.

 

“Well, what are _you_ doing over there?” He asked his hand, pulling a snort from Keith. Lance smiled ruefully at him, then said, “I’m sorry, I promise I had no idea that I was doing that.”

 

Keith looked down at Lance’s hand and shrugged. “I mean, you can hold mine if you want,” he replied, giving his best effort at nonchalance.

 

Keith was sweating bullets, and Lance could tell, judging by the smirk that crept across his face.

 

“Oh really, now?” He said, smirk now turning into a full-blown grin. “Well, then.” He held out his hand, palm facing upward, and Keith gingerly covered it with his own. Lacing their fingers together, he squeezed Lance’s hand experimentally. Lance returned the motion, and Keith felt his heart start to swell with relief.

 

 _This is nice,_ he thought, sitting back in his chair; he was considerably more relaxed now that the first contact had been made. Just as he began to get reabsorbed in the movie, Lance reached over and tapped him on the temple with his index finger. Keith jumped involuntarily and turned to glare at Lance. The venom in his glare, however, was attenuated by Lance’s soft look.

 

“You’re thinking about this too much.”

 

Keith narrowed his eyes for a moment, slightly perturbed, but realized that Lance was probably right. He was catastrophizing again. Taking a moment to center himself, he replied softly, “Sorry.”

 

Lance leaned his seat back slightly, putting his free hand behind his head. “No need to be sorry. I just want you to be able to enjoy the movie,” he said, head flopping to the side to shoot Keith a goofy grin and a finger gun (a masterful feat with their intertwined fingers). “That _is_ why we’re here, right?”

 

Keith flushed and nodded. Lance grinned and squeezed their clasped hands again. “Good. We can do whatever you want after this, okay?” Keith nodded, slowly turning his gaze back to the screen.

 

The two sat in silence as the movie reached its resolution, fingers still woven together. Keith found himself reaching a level of comfort he had been hoping for; a feeling he had desperately been trying to conjure since the beginning of the date. It wasn’t much, but it was encouraging nonetheless. He noticed Lance stealing glances at him as the credits rolled, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

 

“Yes?”

 

Lance looked away quickly, cheeks reddening. _Exposed_ , Keith thought as a small smile snuck onto his face. For all his talk of flirting, Lance turned into a blushing mess when forced to confront his own feelings. It was endearing. “You like what you see?” Keith said coyly, winking at him. Lance froze. _Oh, crap,_ he thought, _I think I killed him_.

 

Lance was beet red, knuckles white as he clutched the steering wheel with one hand, and Keith’s hand with the other. “Why are you so _good_ at this?” Lance asked, voice strained as he focused squarely ahead of him. Keith could tell he was doing all he could not to make eye contact with him.

 

Keith decided to fuck with him a little more. “What ever could you mean?”

 

Lance took several deep breaths as the blush began to fade from his face. “I know you’re just messing with me but…wow. Just…wow. You have no idea what you do to me,” he said, huffing out a laugh. Keith’s heart seized up at that, and he felt a whole lot of confusing feelings hit him at once. Lance appeared to notice the change in his expression and leaned in close. His face was pinched, like he had eaten too many Sour Patch Kids too quickly, and Keith could smell his fresh, slightly sweet cologne. “You know that wasn’t a dig, right?” Lance asked, a look of genuine concern replacing the sultry look he’d been wearing earlier. Keith's silence was telling. 

 

“Tell me what’s wrong, Keith,” Lance said; it wasn’t a question, but more like a gentle prompting for Keith to open up just a little to confide in Lance.

 

“I’m sorry…I just feel bad that I can’t really say the same thing for you. And I don’t know if that’ll be a ‘yet’ or if that’ll be a ‘never.’ I don't want you to feel like you’re wasting your time with me.”

 

Lance looked at Keith thoughtfully and sighed. “I hope that one day you’ll realize that I would never think I’m wasting time on you.”

 

Keith sat in silence, wrestling with his response. _Why am I the only one sabotaging this right now?_ He thought, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lance’s hand hovering next to his face, hesitating to make contact.

 

Keith leaned into his touch, and felt the smooth skin of Lance’s palm rest against his cheek. His thumb smoothed over Keith’s eyebrow, making the worry lines on his forehead relax. He hummed quietly and felt waves of warmth wash over him. It had been so long since he’d let himself just be _content._ He hadn’t had much of a reason to be. Sure, Lance was a comfort to him, as a friend or more-than-friend, but finally knowing that his feelings were reciprocated and his worries were unfounded was…reassuring. He felt validated—hopeful.

 

Lance was the first to break back into the conversation. He smirked and said, “We really need to get you some moisturizer.” Keith swatted his hand away with a look of mock indignation, at which Lance laughed and tried to pinch his cheek. “Your skin is as dry as the desert from which you came.”

 

“Okay, first of all, I don’t even have time to _begin_ to tell you how wrong you are,” Keith retorted, a smile tugging at his lips. “Actually, it’s gonna bother me if I don’t, so—“

“Are you quoting _Ben Wyatt_ at me?” Lance asked, gaping at him. “Wha-when did you get into Parks and Rec??” He nearly whacked Keith in the face with his flailing about, and Keith pressed himself up against the passenger door of the car to avoid injury.

 

“What do you _mean_ ‘When did I get into Parks and Rec’? _You_ were the one who showed it to me, weren’t you?” Keith said, grabbing Lance’s arms and pinning them together. “Or was that someone else?” Lance struggled against his grip as he paused, placing a finger to his chin and smirking.

 

“Keith! Let _go!”_ Lance protested, tugging harder against Keith’s single hand keeping his arms ensnared. “Good _God,_ how are you so strong? Not to toot my own horn or anything, but _I’m_ pretty strong. You’re freakishly strong.” To prove his point, he hit the horn on the steering wheel with his forehead in an impressive feat of contortion. “Get it? _Toot my own horn_?” Keith groaned and let go.

 

“ _Lance.”_

 

“ _Keith.”_

 

The two stared each other down, eyebrows raised and eyes narrowed. After thirty seconds, Keith caved first and rubbed at his eyes.

 

“Yes!” Lance shouted, punching the air and grinning. “I win!”

 

“You do not _win_ , you just were able to keep making that face the longest. _I’m_ the one who won—I had your arms pinned,” Keith countered, sticking out his tongue.

 

“Eh, agree to disagree,” Lance replied, waving a hand in the air.

 

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, “That’s not how this _works_ , Lance…”

 

Lance chuckled and smoothed back a piece of hair that had fallen in Keith’s face. “I know.” He looked up at the movie screen, which had now started playing a different movie. “Do you want to get out of here?”

 

Keith felt nervous excitement start to creep in. “Sure,” he said, smiling. “Thank you for this. It’s been really nice.” He flushed when Lance’s hand moved from the side of his head to the back of his neck, but he didn’t pull away.

 

“Can I kiss you?” Lance breathed, nose inches away from Keith's. Keith’s blush deepened as dark eyes met blue ones. He was very close.

 

Keith gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and Lance moved an inch closer. “Is that a yes?” Lance whispered. “Because I need to hear you tell me ‘yes’. I want to know that you want this, too.”

 

“I want you to kiss me,” Keith replied, feeling warmth creep up his neck. _Oh my god, it’s happening_ , Keith thought, trying to stay calm as they both leaned in. He closed his eyes, which was a mistake, because his brain now had the opportunity to go haywire. _It’s going to be okay. It’s just kissing. You’ve kissed people before, right? It’s just Lance. You know, the guy you’ve had a major crush on for over a year, now, who nearly crushed your heart because of a misunderstanding. No big deal, right? Oh, god, I’m going to fuck this up, why did I even agree to come on this date, holy shit he’s moving closer, what do I do???_

 

“Keith.”

 

Keith opened his eyes, surprised to see that Lance was now sitting back in his chair. “What? Why did you move away?”

 

Lance gave him a knowing look. “I could literally hear your thoughts going wild. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you to do something before you’re ready.” He crossed his arms loosely and pursed his lips when Keith opened his mouth to protest. “I know you probably think you’re ready, but clearly, you’re freaking out.”

 

“But—“

 

“Keith. What are you worried about?” Lance asked, cocking his head to one side and appraising him with his eyes.

 

“Nothing!” Keith retorted, frustrated at himself for chickening out so easily. “It’s nothing.”

 

“Why don’t we head back into town, and you can decide what we do next, hm?” Lance said, starting the car and twisting at the torso to make sure no one was behind him as he backed out of the spot.

 

Keith pouted silently for a moment, crossing his own arms and furrowing his eyebrows. “Fine.”

 

“Hey, what’s with the petulant attitude, dude?” Lance said, driving toward the exit. “Heh, that rhymed.”

 

“I just am mad at myself for chickening out,” Keith replied, wrapping his arms more tightly around himself.

 

Lance hummed in acknowledgement as he began to drum on the steering wheel again. “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself, don’t worry.” He shot him a suggestive grin and winked. “I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Keith relaxed a little, rolling his eyes and failing to fight back a smile. “Oh, no doubt.” He looked over at Lance, smiling to himself as he appreciated the cut of his jaw and the way his hair fell in soft wisps in front of his ears. He felt himself sigh in relief as he realized, _Lance likes me. He…actually_ likes _me. This dork just took me on a date, and wants to see me again._ He couldn’t suppress the short laugh that escaped through his lips, and he looked over at Lance in embarrassment.

 

“What was _that?_ ” Lance asked, grinning.

 

Keith planted an elbow on the center console and leaned in close to Lance ear, whispering, “Just admiring that strong jaw of yours...”

 

Lance choked on his own spit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and following this story!!! <3 it's so appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember that first chapter? This is the end of that day. 
> 
> Alternatively, Lance and Keith reminisce about their first kiss :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw geez, guys, it's been a really long time! I feel kinda bad, but I've been on semi-hiatus because of school (it's overwhelming) and depression/anxiety/myriad of other issues (also overwhelming). I'm mostly recharged and rediscovered my love of writing, which is really nice! I'm excited to start the new year off with finishing this fic, which has taken me a while to finish! 
> 
> I will still be writing things occasionally to add to this AU, because I really do enjoy writing Klance, but I am mainly going to be focusing on my original works and (hopefully) a comic! 
> 
> Thank you for sticking around for so long, and I hope the last chapter of this fic doesn't disappoint! <3 I appreciate your comments, kudos, screams, and love so, so much. It keeps me going.

 

Lance bustled in the kitchen, humming bits and pieces of a song that had randomly popped into his head as he prepared dinner for Keith and himself. The thought of Keith’s email brought a dopey smile to his face as he absentmindedly stabbed the pasta boiling in front of him. He’d be lying if it hadn’t reminded him of the long, long road that got them where they were today. It hadn’t been easy, but he didn’t regret anything; even the bad parts. If he’d learned anything from his relationship with Keith, it’s that even the rough patches bring growth, and he and his fiancé had been lucky enough to grow in the same direction, rather than apart.

 

He glanced up at the clock in their kitchen and watched the second hand ticking lazily away, counting down the moments until Keith’s return home. Letting out a heavy sigh, he leaned a hip against the kitchen counter and watched the bubbles in the water rise to the surface and burst angrily.

 

“Why do noodles _take_ so long?” He grumbled, stirring a little too aggressively and yelping when hot water splashed out, threatening to burn him. “Ack! Damn it!”

 

“Because you keep _watching it_ , doofus,” he heard a familiar voice say from the doorway, barely masking a smile.

 

Near-death experience forgotten, Lance’s face lit up with a huge grin as he practically leapt into Keith’s arms.

 

“Hey!” Keith said, laughter turning into a wheeze as Lance nearly squeezed the life out of him. “What’s for dinner? I smell...boiling water.” He laughed again, softly this time, as Lance set him back on his feet. Lance turned to head back to the kitchen, but not without planting a quick kiss on his fiancé’s cheek.

 

“Just spaghetti.”

 

“Ah. Mystery solved!”

 

Lance rolled his eyes and hopped up on the counter. “You’re a regular Nancy Drew,” he said, laughing at the offended look on Keith’s face. “What?”

 

“You can at _least_ give me Sherlock Holmes,” Keith replied, positioning himself in front of Lance and placing a gentle hand on one of his thighs. He tilted his head so their lips nearly touched. “You’re going to burn dinner,” he murmured, as teasing as ever.

 

Lance didn’t even get to sneak in a kiss before Keith was skipping away, grabbing the pasta and draining the water from it into the sink. “Hey, I should be doing that.”

 

Keith gave him an unamused look over his shoulder. “I am perfectly capable of draining _pasta_ , Lance.”

 

“Remember how I said _I_ would be making dinner tonight?” Lance said as he attempted to relieve Keith of the saucepan.

 

Keith sighed and cocked a hip petulantly. “So you won’t even let me help.”

 

“No! Let me be sweet to you!” Lance said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes fondly. “You’ve had a long day.”

 

“So have you!”

 

“Not nearly as long, and I don’t have to deal with small children for eight hours a day.”

 

Keith pursed his lips and retorted, “So you really won’t let me do _anything_.”

 

Lance sighed, ever longsuffering, and held out an arm in Keith’s direction. When Keith didn’t move, he gestured for him to come closer. “C’mere.”

 

Keith narrowed his eyes and allowed Lance to wrap a long, tan arm around his waist. “What.”

 

“Why don’t–” Lance pressed a kiss to Keith’s soft hair “–you stay here with me? You can keep me company. Besides,” he leaned down a little more to kiss his temple, “dinner’s almost ready _anyway_. It’s not that labor-intensive.”

 

When Keith continued to pout, Lance decided to take drastic measures; he pinched Keith’s soft side and made him jump, with a weird shout/giggle hybrid escaping his lips.

 

“That was _not_ fair!” Keith said, incredulous and unable to suppress a smile. “You cheated!”

 

Lance was the picture of innocence. “Cheated? How?”

 

“You tickled me!”

 

Lance tried his best to maintain his innocent facade and was failing. “That was _not_ a tickle. We have a strict ‘no tickle’ rule for the kitchen. How dare you assume I was violating the laws _I_ so carefully implemented?”

 

Lance grinned in triumph as Keith settled back in his hold, wrapping both arms around Lance’s waist. “I guess you’re right,” Keith said, a little _too_ compliantly. Lance, unfortunately, was too late to notice that it was a ruse.

 

Keith grinned and dug his hands into Lance’s side, making him bark out an embarrassingly loud laugh and convulse involuntarily.

 

“ _KEITH!”_ He cried, “That is _so_ unfair! We had a _truce_!”

 

“You broke the rules _first_ ,” Keith said, sly grin stretched across his flushed face. “It’s only fair.”

 

Lance narrowed his eyes at his fiancé and gestured to their dinner, that he almost spilled in the commotion. “Were you really that willing to sacrifice _food_ for this ruse?”

 

Keith shrugged. “Sacrifices sometimes need to be made.”

 

“You’ve been living with me too long,” Lance said, shaking his head. “You’re starting to sound like me.”

 

Keith tucked his head in the crook of Lance’s neck and kissed it lightly before saying, “I don’t think we’ve been living together long _enough_.”

 

Lance’s brain short circuited, and based on the silent laughter from Keith, it was pretty obvious. He looked down at his fiancé’s shaking form and couldn’t resist the fond smile that crept onto his face. “Have I told you I loved you today?”

 

Keith’s giggles subsided, and he looked up to meet Lance’s eyes with an equally fond smile. “You may have mentioned it once or twice, but I wouldn’t mind if you told me again,” he said, and Lance felt his heart melt. He hummed, acutely aware of Keith’s chest pressed against his; it reminded him of the first time that they’d been so close, and prompted him to wrap Keith more tightly in his arms and press his lips against his forehead.

 

“What’cha thinkin’ about?” Keith asked, voice slightly muffled by his shoulder. “You got all... _quiet_.”

 

Lance put a short distance between them and shook his head, smiling. “Nothing bad–just remembering the first time we were this close. You got me all nostalgic today.”

 

Keith beamed and tilted his face to press a light kiss to Lance’s lips. “It’s your fault–you always make me feel all squishy inside.”

 

Lance laughed and replied, “Gross,” before kissing him more firmly. Pulling back only to press their foreheads together, he said, “But do you remember?”

 

“You mean our first kiss?” Keith ran his hands up and down Lance’s sides, slipping underneath his loose shirt to graze his soft skin. “Mhmm. God, it feels like yesterday.”

 

Lance smiled, reaching up to card his fingers through Keith’s soft hair. “It sure does.”

 

#

 

Lance and Keith didn’t end up kissing on that first date. Or the second, unless you count chaste cheek kisses that were a little chilly from just-eaten ice cream, but Lance wasn’t inclined to count that as a real kiss. Hunk saw his expression when he’d come home from the date and asked, and he had shaken his head. He was...waiting for the right moment.

 

It wasn’t a secret that Keith was new to this. Painfully new. Well, painful really only for Keith, who seemed to be feeling so guilty that he had this semi-permanent constipated look on his face when Lance got within five inches of him. He _also_ looked like he expected Lance to bail at any moment, which was pretty gut-wrenching, since Lance was well on his way to tripping down a flight of stairs for him.

 

On their third date, Keith had picked the place. They had gone bowling-you know, the noblest of sports–and Lance could literally _feel_ the awkward oozing out of Keith the minute they walked through the door. Many would think bowling at an alley where six-year-olds were inclined to have birthday parties and scream for hours wasn’t the _most_ romantic, but to Lance, this was better than having a fancy dinner. Even if Keith was taking a little while to warm up to the environment. Even though it was his suggestion.

 

Ordinarily, Lance was not a patient man; for Keith, though, he’d wait a thousand years sitting still if it would make him happy. So he sat, watching (read: ogling) Keith as he set himself up for the third strike in a row.

 

Keith had finally started to relax after his second throw, so after getting his third strike on the fifth frame, he spun on his heel and gave Lance a wide grin.

 

“Did you see that!?” He said, clenching his hands into fists at his sides with his excitement and hopping down from the lane.

 

Lance grinned back as he stood, reaching up to offer Keith a high five. After a moment of contemplation on Keith’s part, he slid forward on slippery bowling shoes and wrapped his arms tightly around Lance’s waist. Lance’s eyes involuntarily widened; the gesture caught him off-guard for only a moment before he was squeezing him back with matched enthusiasm.

 

“You are on _fire_ , dude!” He said, pulling back slightly so he could beam at his date, but found himself unable to budge. “Keith?”

 

Keith had smushed his face into Lance’s chest, with hands curling tightly into the fabric of the old green jacket he always wore. He said nothing; only making a weird strangled noise that was muffled by Lance’s shirt.

 

Lance’s eyebrows knit together in concern, and he tugged lightly on the hem of Keith’s tee shirt. “Keith, what’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” he mumbled, refusing to budge.

 

Lance rolled his eyes and tugged a little more. “Okay, you’re a bad liar–really, what’s going on? You were all excited and then suddenly shut me out.”

 

Keith let out a heavy sigh and peeked out from his hiding place. “I feel...bad.”

 

“ _What_?” Lance wracked his brain for anything that may have indicated something went wrong in the last month they’d been hanging out, but came up with nothing. “ _Why_?”

 

Another sigh. “I just do.”

 

“Keith, sweetheart, I know that your whole aesthetic is this broody and emo thing but come on–you’ve gotta’ communicate with me.”

 

Keith groaned and finally met Lance’s eyes. “Remember our first date?”

 

“Of course...? How could I not?”

 

Keith bit his lip and searched his face. “We haven’t...done the thing yet.”

 

Fifty-seven “things” ran through Lance’s mind at lightspeed before he identified “the thing” as “kiss.” His shoulders relaxed when the reason for Keith’s sudden distress dawned on him.

 

He decided to continue to coax the information out of him. “You mean...kiss?”

 

Keith nodded, averting his eyes.

 

“Do you think I’m _mad_ at you?” He asked, wrapping a gentle hand around his hip and shaking slightly to try and get Keith to meet his gaze. Keith reluctantly obliged. The look on his face didn’t say he thought otherwise.

 

Lance sighed. “How do I convince you that I just really like _you_ , and want to spend time with _you_ , because I think you’re a blast and I honestly, truthfully _enjoy_ your company?” He lifted an eyebrow and appraised Keith, who’d pursed his lips and furrowed his brow contemplatively.

 

“It’s not that I don’t _believe_ you,” Keith started, slowly, “I know you’re just trying to be respectful, and while I appreciate that, I can’t just chicken out because I’m scared.” He met Lance’s gaze with serious eyes. “I _really_ like you. Like, a lot. And…” He let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly. “I’m going to _choose_ to trust you. The journey to get here was a _little_ bit of a fiasco, but now that I’m here, I refuse to hold myself back because I’m being irrational.”

 

Lance was transfixed, eyes roving across Keith’s face, only nodding as he listened carefully. When Keith finished speaking, a grin started creeping across Lance’s face. Keith noticed and he instantly flushed from neck to hairline. “What.”

 

“I dunno, just happy,” Lance replied, squeezing Keith’s hip once before letting go. “You _finally_ opened up to me. You trust me. For you, that’s a big step.”

 

Keith’s blush only deepened, but Lance saw the quiet smile that appeared, too. They stood like that for an intimate moment before Lance rocked back on his heels and placed both hands behind his head. Keith eyed him cautiously. “What?”

 

Lance gave him a sly smile. “Did you wanna do it _now_? Or..?”

 

Keith spluttered, now a violent shade of cranberry. “ _What?_ _Here?_ ” he hissed. “There are _children_ here!”

 

Lance laughed at his frazzled date. “Fine, later. You get to pick.”

 

Keith groaned. “Seriously? You can’t just do it?”

 

“Is kissing me that much of a chore?” Lance said in a mock offended tone. “Wow, you know how to cut me deep!”

 

“You know what I mean. You have better timing than I do.”

 

Lance choked on a laugh. “Nuh-uh! I’m terrible at timing!”

 

“You’re better at sensing the right moment, though!” Keith said, slipping into a pout.

 

Lance took Keith’s head in his hands and stroked his cheek with a thumb. “I want you to be the one to kiss me. Is that okay? If you’re really not cool with it, I can–“

 

Keith covered Lance’s mouth with his hand. “Okay, I get it. If you want me to, I’ll do it.”

 

“Oh, goody!” Lance said, giving Keith a toothy grin that made Keith giggle.

 

“Let’s finish this game, okay?” Keith said, slipping out of Lance’s grasp and moving to walk over to the ball return. “You’re up, I think.”

 

Lance wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist before he got too far and pressed a kiss into his hair. “Okay. After this game.”

 

#

 

Keith _really_ liked Lance. A lot. Every time he looked at him, he got butterflies so bad he had to resist the urge to claw at his own stomach. He’d thought boys were cute before, sure, but Lance was something else.

 

They met when they were freshmen. At nineteen, Lance was still tall and gangly: all arms and legs that were uncoordinated like long noodles. Keith wasn’t much more coordinated–he just was shorter and a little more muscular. Being twenty now didn’t change much. They were still practically kids; they’d recently left childhood, but traces of awkward teenager remained.

 

And Keith never expected that not only would this outgoing noodle person become his best friend, but also become someone he got the extreme butterflies for.

 

It was wild.

 

So, naturally, Keith found himself at a bowling alley on a third date with this noodle boy he had feelings for. For most people, this would be great, but Keith wasn’t too good with feeling-articulation. Unlike Lance. Lance was _very_ good at feeling-articulation. He had no qualms about saying how he felt. It was... _admirable._ Maybe Lance’s heart-on-his-sleeve nature was endearing, in some way. Maybe it was his reckless abandon of self when protecting his friends.

 

Either way, Keith wanted to smush mouths with Lance _real_ bad.

 

He just choked every time he tried.

 

And here Lance was, giving him the perfect opportunity to do it.

 

 _Okay, Keith,_ he thought, _it’s showtime._

After they finished their last few frames, (Keith won, of course), Lance returned their bowling shoes while Keith laced up his boots. When he stood upright, he found himself face-to-face with his date, holding his jacket up for him to put on.

 

“Lance, come on,” Keith said, unable to hide a smile, “really?”

 

“Really, really,” he replied, grinning. “Come on, come on, come on! We’ve got places to be!”

 

Keith slipped his arms into the sleeves and tried his best to look at Lance over his shoulder. “Where do we need to be?”

 

“Spoilers.”

 

“Lance, I was the one who picked the date spot this time–you don’t have to continue picking places.”

 

“I have something I want to show you,” Lance said, pressing a soft kiss to Keith’s temple. “C’mon.”

 

Lance led Keith out of the bowling alley by the hand, eagerly dragging him to the car. He even let Lance drive, because _he_ sure didn’t know where they were going.

 

“It’s not too far from here,” Lance said, making a few turns down side streets. “Ah, here it is!”

 

Before them loomed an enormous, adult-sized playground. Keith’s jaw dropped.

 

“Oh my _god_. What is this place?” Keith said, awestruck. “I’ve never been here!”

 

“One of this town’s best-kept secrets,” Lance mused, smiling. “It’s low-key dangerous, but also extremely fun.” He winked at Keith. “It’s also usually pretty secluded.”

 

 _Oh_. That brought Keith back to reality. “I assume you wanted to get us out of the public eye so we could take care of some business, huh?” Keith asked. “And yes,” he added when he saw Lance’s mouth start to open, “I know how that sounds.”

 

“Just checking.” Lance had a full-blown cheesy grin on his face. “So Keith, is there anything you’d like to say, or _do_?”  


Keith groaned loudly, burying his face in Lance’s chest. “Don’t make this any more nerve-wracking than it is,” he grumbled. Lance’s hands came up to cradle Keith’s face.

 

“Listen,” Lance said, looking at Keith very closely. “I like you a _lot_ , but I would never pressure you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with. You understand that, right?”

 

Keith nodded. Lance let out a sigh of relief. “Good.”

 

“But what if you don’t feel anything, and that’s that…?” Keith muttered, and Lance lightly patted his cheek to reprimand him.

 

“None of that. Now kiss me, you big loser.” One of Lance’s hands snaked around to the back of Keith’s neck, twisting in his long, dark hair.

 

Keith was nearly beside himself with anxiety. “Okay. Here I go. Showtime. Kiss the boy. Comin’ in hot,” he rambled, allowing a shaky hand to cup Lance’s cheek. “Here I come.”

 

Lance looked like he was about to burst out laughing, but mercifully kept his composure. “Okay, nerd, kiss me like you mean it.”

 

One last _now or never_ floated through Keith’s mind as he leaned in, having to stand only slightly on his tiptoes to match Lance’s height. He shuffled a little bit closer so they were nearly chest-to-chest. and he could feel Lance’s warm breath ghosting over his nose as they inched toward each other. Lance had already closed his eyes, patiently waiting for Keith to make the move. Keith let his eyelids droop, blacking out his view of Lance’s face, and made his lips find Lance’s.

 

The first thing Keith noticed was how soft Lance’s lips were. Like, _wow_. Compared to his own– which weren’t _too_ bad, but not this nice–they were like soft flower petals or satin sheets.

 

The second thing Keith noticed was how gentle Lance was. He was usually so in-your-face and loud, always making his presence known, but with this, he was quiet and patient. He let Keith do the leading this time as their lips moved together, dancing as a pair. _Like a slow waltz_ , a vague thought flitted across his mind.

 

The last thing Keith noticed was how warm he felt when kissing Lance. Not exactly _arousal_ , per se, but a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. The closest thing he could compare it to was the feeling he got when seeing a really cute kitten. He felt giddy and light-headed as warmth spread from his chest out to the tips of his fingers and toes. _So this is what it’s like_ , he thought. _This is what kissing Lance is like._

 

When they finally pulled apart, Keith’s eyes were still closed. He couldn’t see the softness in Lance’s eyes as they raked over Keith’s face, memorizing his delighted expression.

 

“Wow,” Keith whispered, afraid to open his eyes and break the quiet spell that had fallen over them.

 

He heard Lance’s breathy laugh. “No kidding.”

 

“You’re a really good kisser.” Keith’s voice was quiet, barely crossing the short distance between them.

 

“You’re not so bad either. Especially not for a first kiss with a new person.”

 

“Especially.”

 

Keith’s eyes slowly opened, revealing a smiling Lance giving him a fond look. Keith let out a breath, and with it let go of the tension that had crept into his body.

 

Lance smiled at him and whispered, “Hi.”

 

“Hi,” Keith breathed, and after a moment let out a surprised giggle.

 

“How do you feel?” Lance asked.

 

Keith pondered that for a moment, deciding firmly, “I feel good. I feel...amazing.”

 

Lance laughed. “Wow, I didn’t know I was _that_ good. What an ego boost. I’m never letting you go.”

 

A thrill went up Keith’s spine at the off-handed comment. _I sure hope so_ , he thought. “So...what are _you_ thinking? Because my thoughts are very difficult to organize right now.”

 

“I’m thinking…” Lance gently swept his thumb over Keith’s cheekbone. “I think we should go back to the car, and go back to your apartment, and _maybe_ watch a movie?”

 

Keith grinned. “You’re just looking for excuses to make out.”

 

“What?! I just really want to watch a movie!”

 

“Sure, Lance.”

 

“And if we happen to make out, so be it.” Lance laughed when Keith lightly punched him in the arm. “I’m just saying. You’ve given me a taste of those lips–you had to know I’d come back for more.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes fondly. “I should have expected.” He couldn’t stop thinking about it; he’d felt something extra in that kiss. It was something he’d never really felt before. It was hard to place, but it made him feel _incredible._ Indestructible. Beautiful, even. “I really enjoyed it, though.”

 

Lance’s teeth made an appearance along with his wide grin. “Really, really?”

 

“Really really, really.” Keith grinned back. “Let’s head back to the car. It’s a little dark and I’m pretty sure that if we tried to climb this jungle gym, we’d die.”

 

“Oh, absolutely.”

 

They held hands all the way back to the car.

 

#

 

 _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD_ , was all Lance could think as they drove back to Keith’s apartment. He’d just kissed this man–this _adorable_ man–and Keith _liked it_. Lance had been so afraid Keith would hate it and they would never kiss again. Not that he wouldn’t still like Keith, because _come on,_ who couldn’t love Keith? But it would be a major bummer.

 

 _Honestly,_ Lance thought, _the look on his face was the happiest I’ve_ ever _seen him_. Keith looked like he’d found the fluffiest cat at the shelter and it decided to sit in his lap. He looked almost completely at peace; the only giveaway was the dust of pink over his cheeks from excitement, embarrassment, or both. And now they were going _back to Keith’s place?_ Be still Lance’s achy, breaky heart.

 

The drive back to Keith’s apartment was both agonizingly slow and insanely fast; by the time they arrived, Lance could hardly contain his excitement as he tried his best not to bound up the steps.

 

Keith opened the door with his key and revealed an apartment that Lance had frequented many times, but never as a _date_. It was almost too much for poor Lance’s heart to bear. Keith gave him a shy smile and slipped inside, letting his hand trail behind him as a silent invitation.

 

Lance grasped the very tips of Keith’s fingers as he followed his date inside. He smiled when he saw the art hung on the walls: they reminded him of their first date. Keith’s fingers barely hung on as he led them into the kitchen, where he then stopped and looked at Lance expectantly.

 

“Yes?” Lance said.

 

“I’m hungry.” Keith intertwined their fingers so he could hold Lance’s hand completely.

 

Lance laughed. “Is that why you brought me here? To buy you food?”

 

“No,” Keith pouted, “I can get it myself.”

 

Lance could’ve died right there and been happy; Keith’s face was too precious. “Well, now I _have_ to get you something. You look too darn cute.” Lance leaned in to press a kiss against Keith’s cheek. He squeaked in surprise when Keith turned his face and met Lance’s lips with his own.

 

Aaaand they were kissing again.

 

Then Lance’s back was against the counter.

 

Then Keith’s arms surrounded Lance on either side, and Lance’s fingers wove between the tangled strands of Keith’s hair. The room had started getting very, _very_ warm. _What in the world got into_ him _?_ Lance wondered, thoughts barely making themselves known in his foggy brain. Then, something occurred to him; it made him laugh, thereby breaking the kiss he had been sharing with Keith. Keith gave him a confused look, to which Lance replied, “Were you being coy when you said you were hungry?”

 

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. “No.”

 

“Ah. Thought not.” _That would have been such a great joke_ , Lance thought, and sighed in lamentation. “Well, let’s have some food, then.”

 

They ended up eating on some of the leftover food in Keith’s fridge. Keith had been overly apologetic, which was unnecessary, because Lance honestly couldn’t care less that all they had to eat was lo mein with chips and salsa. He just loved to spend time with Keith. That was all he needed.

 

Keith’s demeanor had drastically changed since the beginning of the date. He had been so awkward and nervous when they first walked into the bowling alley, but now, on his couch, he looked so relaxed and comfortable. Lance smiled at him and leaned his head back against the couch.

 

“Hey.”

 

Keith looked up from his plate. “Hm?”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed a little. “Of course, do I not seem okay?”

 

Lance shook his head _no_. “You seem really relaxed. I just wanted to check because we took a pretty big step today. You were really nervous earlier.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith said, winding a noodle around his fork slowly, “I was. But I’m not anymore.” He looked up to meet Lance’s eyes. “And I’m glad I kissed you.”

 

Lance’s heart soared, and he couldn’t resist the urge to press a soft kiss to Keith’s lips. “Me too,” he breathed. “So glad.”

 

Keith beamed at him, then set his plate aside to turn so he was facing Lance directly. “I still want to keep things just at that, but...I feel warm...inside. It’s hard to describe. But I feel relieved, rather than stressed, and I’m taking that as a good sign.”

 

Lance leaned forward to hug him awkwardly over crossed legs. “I’m glad that you are comfortable around me. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of me for a while,” he leaned back to meet Keith’s eyes, “so it’s good to just settle in for the long haul.” He grinned.

 

Keith rolled his eyes fondly and lightly socked Lance on the shoulder. “Okay, then, you big nerd. In for the long haul.”

 

#

 

Lance’s fingers stopped combing through Keith’s hair as his attention was drawn to a grumpy cat expressing his feelings on a late dinner time. He smiled, then kissed Keith on the forehead. “Let’s feed the cat, and then _maybe_ I’ll let you help finish dinner.”

 

Keith stepped back so Lance could walk around him to the stove. “I gotta pull my weight around here!”

 

“Sure do.”

 

Keith laughed and fed Mulder, who flicked his tail angrily and promptly began eating. “At least Mulder is happy now.”

 

Lance looked over his shoulder at his fiancé’s crouched figure, and stared a little too long. He splashed some sauce on his foot, making him jump in surprise and put down the saucepan with a clatter.

 

Keith shot upright. “What in the world just happened?” He said, stepping forward to grab Lance a dishtowel. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Lance grumbled, “your ass distracted me again.”

 

Keith gave him a blank stare for a moment before he burst out laughing. He took Lance by the shoulder and pulled him closer, kissing him deeply. “I love you so much.” He said, smiling when Lance’s arms wound around his waist.

 

“I love you too.” Lance replied, kissing Keith on the nose.

 

“I know it took us a while to get here, but I wouldn’t change anything. I think all the mishaps and miscommunication helped us grow up to be better people.”

 

Lance nodded, readjusting the saucepan on the burner. “And better partners.”

 

“Exactly,” Keith said, pecking Lance once more on the lips. “And it looks like you need some help in here after all, so I _am_ helping, whether you like it or not.”

 

The evening resumed, after a short while of bickering, with two idiots reminding themselves why they loved each other for so long. Mulder napped. It was nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos or a comment (or both!) if you enjoyed this fic! I love feedback and really try to reply to every comment I get. Thanks again for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I love your comments and kudos, thank you for such a warm response to my fics!!!:) <3 your comments are all screamed over and so very appreciated!


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